Tiko Project is on sale for preorder!

Holy moly and I'm behind on writing stuff on here. Lots been going on, thus I've not had time to write about it:) I'll try and catch up when I get some time. However, the important thing here is that the Tiko project that I worked on for FAR TOO LONG is about ready to ship and is on presale. My college debt fund gets a little help everytime Tiko gets invited to a new home and even more so with those "custom invites" (hint...hint). One of my other animator friends Keith Osborn helped out on the animation portion for Tiko and my buddy from college and fellow facial animator at work Scott Englert did a piece that'll be on the DVD called "Bassimator." It was a lot of fun to make but I'm very glad it's done. Check it out and see if you might like a copy.... ...Tiko will thank you (quite literally if you happen you get a custom message version and have him thank you on it...;)

Here's the LINK

Out.

Pixar's New Short - "Lifted"

This is a backdated post...sorry...

A bunch of guys from work and I went to Colombia university downtown last night for a little screening of a short from a certain company we all know and love. It's the Chicago film festival this weekend and will be screened on Saturday there. The seed of the story is alien's driver's ed and Pixar quality hilarity ensues. The director of the short was there for a Q&A, short talk and to screen it. The director was really funny and showed us a lot of stuff. The shaders they used for the "gel" bodies are deceptively amazing. You don't even notice how sweet it is while you're watching it, but seeing a turn around on the characters made the complexity amazing. Another sweet tech thing was the jiggle factor. They've got some sort of tech for pretty much impacting a character and seeing how the jiggle cascades through the body. HOLY CRAP I loved this short. I think it is my favorite short to come from the studio. It was absolutely hysterical, the timing was perfect, the design was beautiful...I can't wait to see it again when it screens with Ratatoulie next June. If you can find a way to see it before then... GO!

Grateful...

No art updates today, but just wanted to drop a note to say that I'm so thankful for this gift we're given called "life". A year ago about this time life sucked. There's no nice way to put it. There's probably some more descriptive non-G ways, but we'll just say it sucked. However, it's amazing the differences a year can bring. Andrew Peterson's words come to mind:

What's that on the ground? It's what's left of my heart Somebody named Jesus Broke it to pieces And planted the shards And they're coming up green They're coming in bloom I can hardly believe This is all coming true Just as I am and just as I was Just as I will be He loves me, He does He showed me the day that He shed His own blood He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does All of my life I've held on to this fear Its thistles and vines Ensnare and entwine What flowers appeared It's the fear that I'll fall One too many times It's the fear that His love Is no better than mine (but He says that) Just as I am and just as I was Just as I will be He loves me, He does He showed me the day that He shed His own blood He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does It's time now to harvest What little that grew This man they call Jesus Who planted the seeds Has come for the fruit And the best that I've got Isn't nearly enough He's glad for the crop But it's me that He loves

The seasons of life have changed a bit more slowly than those of the earth in the past year, but they're changing all the same. The winds are shifting, the leaves are changing, and I sense in the air that a time of harvest is near. We don't know how many trips around the merrigoround we're going to have. Life can seem so concrete in one moment then in the next as dust being blown by the wind sifting through our fingers as we try to hold on to just one more speck. In the words of a missionary who lost his life attempting to share his life, "Wherever you are, be all there." Life can be so wasted in deadend thoughts of wishing we were somewhere else, wanting to be someone else, doing something else. There is no one on earth nor has there been anyone quite like you. That is what my faith teaches. Our lives are gifts and each moment is precious. So, here I sit grateful at the life I've been given. It's not what I expected but it's an adventure all the same. In the vallies we crawl and grow. On the mountains we stand in awe. I've been coming out a long valley and climbing a tough road with more than a few helping hands along the way. The crest of this hill is in sight and I can't wait to see what lies ahead. Grateful for the journey- a trail marked out by wounded feet and a wounded hand on my shoulder to guide. Thankful for a God who gave His Son to adopt me as His own.